Are you a fan of such games as Words with Friends, Farmville, Bejeweled Blitz, Sims Social, etc..? Do you play these games on Facebook? If you do, then you are not alone. I was shocked to learn in a recent article that Facebook users spend more than 50% of their time using apps and playing social games. As digital advertisers are constantly searching for ways to boost visibility and engagement with users, this could be the right area for them to focus their marketing strategy on. Of course this isn’t for every brand, but for those looking to target this specific audience, it could prove extremely effective. Here’s why:
1. Facebook users love their games: 600 million users play social games on Facebook and 50% of the U.S. population between the ages of 18 to 44 plays social games daily.
2. An advertiser’s ad will have a high chance of being seen: Ads delivered within social games are above the fold and delivered during natural game breaks. That means unlike most regular display ads and some in-banner pre-roll, they actually get seen 100% of the time.
3. Social gaming generates high engagement rates ads: Advertising in social gaming can see average CTRs of 6% and above, up to 23% average engagement rates and 5% average share rates. In fact, eMarketer reports that social gaming can be 7x to 20x more effective than online ads at increasing metrics like ad awareness and brandlift.
4. Mobile Is Huge Now: Given such games as “Angry Birds”, social gaming is ever so growing on mobile. Therefore, the penetration that advertisers could achieve naturally gets extended.
5. Positive environment= positive brand sentiments: Social gaming elicits positive emotions and a sense of achievement among users. Therefore, users can indirectly associate these good emotions with brand messaging.
6. Creative ad units: There are a lot of opportunities to get creative with in-game advertising -- which can take the form of video, rich media, surveys and even branded content within the game. In game advertising, done effectively, can make the game seem more realistic to the player and can actually enhance the user experience. This is value creating for the game creators and for advertisers.
7. Advertisers can track engagement: Because social gaming takes place through the social graph, you can measure everything from CTR to Facebook shares, tweets, follows, interactions, engagement.
With the potential growth of social gaming in the future, we could see more of a social and mobile convergence in the long run. A greater number of users now prefer mobile over PCs to access the internet. I may not play games on Facebook, but I do play on my mobile device when I have a free moment. Typically people associate games for the younger generation and that might be true on Facebook, but you’ll be surprised at the wide range of individuals always playing games on their phones. As I was riding up the 1 train to get to class a few days ago, I saw 5 different people, all sitting relatively close together, playing games on their phones. These people varied in age and race. The potential to hit a larger demographic is greater in the mobile space. And typically when playing, the advertisements are for other apps, but this is the perfect space for the right advertisers to take advantage of. So next time you’re riding on the subway, look around and see how valuable this could be for brands to have presence in.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/176731/7-reasons-why-social-gaming-should-be-in-your-medi.html
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